British motorists don’t trust friends or family behind their wheel

Most Brits (68 per cent) don’t trust their nearest and dearest to drive their cars, according to research from car insurer Liverpool Victoria. Mums and best friends fared worst, being the least trusted. The top reasons given were perceived inexperience, speeding and nerves when driving.

Who we least trust to drive our cars, and the reasons why, ranked:

Least trusted drivers
1 Best friend
2 Mother
3 Son
4 = Brother
4 = Sister
6 Daughter
7 Spouse
8 Father
9 Partner
10 Fiancé

Women are most anxious about people speeding when driving their car (23 per cent), whereas men are more concerned about the inexperience of the driver (30 per cent). Surprisingly, less than one in 10 Brits are worried about past brushes with the law, reckless driving, road rage or a history of accidents.

The survey also disproves the common belief that men are more preoccupied with how people park. Eight per cent of men said that this was why they did not trust others to drive their car – only two per cent more than women did (six per cent).

Why we don’t trust others with our car - %

They are an inexperienced driver 26%
Most likely to speed 21%
They are a nervous driver 19%
They are easily distracted 17%
They are a reckless driver 9%
They can’t park 7%
They have a history of accidents 7%
They suffer from road rage 6%
They have a history of driving convictions 3%

John O’Roarke, Managing Director at Liverpool Victoria General Insurance, said: “The dilemma faced by motorists seems to be how to tell their friends and loved ones that, despite trusting them with most other things in life, they don’t trust them to drive their cars. However, it’s encouraging to see that the British motorist does not hand over the car keys easily and is conscious of the potential risks.

“Before allowing a friend or family member – or anyone else for that matter – to get behind the wheel of your car, you should make sure that they have adequate insurance cover. The only way to guarantee full cover for your own car is to make them a named driver on your policy, and ensure that the policy has Comprehensive cover for own vehicle damage. Otherwise any niggles of doubt you had about letting them take your car may come back to haunt you.”

Surprisingly the under 30’s seem to agree with their own stereotype as the most careless age group on the roads and are the least likely to trust their peers with their cars. 19 per cent don’t trust their best friend with their car, eight per cent above the national average. And more than double the national average said that their siblings were not to be trusted either (29 per cent vs 14 per cent respectively).